A COUNCILLOR has spoken out against a plan to build a block of student flats in the middle of an area of the city largely populated by the elderly.

St John’s councillor Richard Udall has called for an application to build 54 student flats next to St Clement’s Church in Henwick Road in Worcester to be turned down saying it would be unfair for pensioners and the elderly to be forced to have to live next to hundreds of students.

In an objection sent to Worcester City Council, Cllr Udall said: “A clear concern is one of suitability of mixed generations living so close to each other, student life is not very compatible with retirement villages and pensioner expectations.

“The generational difference is outside of local expectation and could have a significant negative impact on the existing community, the different age groups have significantly different expectations of leisure, recreation and entertainment; a clash of expectations is inevitable and needs to be avoided.

“Incidents and issues which may be insignificant to one group may be intolerable to another, which would significantly undermine the quality of life of existing and potential new residents and tenants.”

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St Clement’s Church Hall, which was built in 1909 but has been empty for several years, would be demolished to make way for the new block as part of the plan by developer New Venture Housing.

The new block would be the second large student accommodation building to be built within 200 metres of each other in Henwick Road.

Cllr Udall also compared the design of the building to a prison and was baffled by the exclusion of car parking spaces from the site.

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“It's unrealistic in the extreme to imagine that none of the residents would have cars,” he said.

“Fifty-four student apartments would generate many vehicles and would disturb the local area making Church Walk unsafe for both pedestrians and the elderly population of St Clement’s Close.

“The design is unfortunate and not in keeping with local expectations, it resembles a penitentiary, which is visually very unappealing, especially next to the historically important St Clements Church.”